Eventing in the heat...

[Honey08]

I converted my ifor 510 into a coffee box. I’ve been standing in it for five hours today and it’s very warm. It still has its original roof. (And that’s with two great hatches open on the side. When the hatches/doors are closed it’s very quickly unbearable).

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

Take plenty of water for both horse and human - don't forget about yourself in all of your worry for the horse!

When racing in the heat - flat or jumps - I always give their necks, flanks and quarters a hose down just after I have saddled and leave the water on to go to the paddock. As soon as they come back in a bucket goes over the quarters before I do anything else. As soon as the Jockey is off more water on the horse. I do 2nd and 3rd wash downs if needs be. Hence why you need loads of water with you. We are lucky in that we have a good, constant supply of water at the races.

As soon as you have done each phase get off and lead Boggle. You don't need to be in the saddle any longer than necessary. Keep moving. If you think he is over heating slightly or going wobbly DO NOT stand still. Keep moving. Keep the blood flowing even if you are dragging him. Keep him moving. And keep the water flowing. If you have no one to help you make a friend or 2 there and help cool down their horses later in the day if they help you with yours.

I am sure you will be perfectly fine because you are a very sensible person and always put your horse first.

 

[CanteringCarrot]

Yeah, that's a good point. Don't forget about yourself. I once walked up to get my score sheet, got to the tent and promptly fainted ?‍ hit the ground pretty hard. Moral of the story; drink enough water.

 

[Michen]

I converted my ifor 510 into a coffee box. I’ve been standing in it for five hours today and it’s very warm. It still has its original roof. (And that’s with two great hatches open on the side. When the hatches/doors are closed it’s very quickly unbearable).

mine is a classic so extra windows. It stayed cool during heat wave with two horses in stop start traffic the other day. Have bought him a stable for the day so he’s not standing on it or in sun in between phases. And battery operated fans in case of traffic.

 

[Michen]

Take plenty of water for both horse and human - don't forget about yourself in all of your worry for the horse!

When racing in the heat - flat or jumps - I always give their necks, flanks and quarters a hose down just after I have saddled and leave the water on to go to the paddock. As soon as they come back in a bucket goes over the quarters before I do anything else. As soon as the Jockey is off more water on the horse. I do 2nd and 3rd wash downs if needs be. Hence why you need loads of water with you. We are lucky in that we have a good, constant supply of water at the races.

As soon as you have done each phase get off and lead Boggle. You don't need to be in the saddle any longer than necessary. Keep moving. If you think he is over heating slightly or going wobbly DO NOT stand still. Keep moving. Keep the blood flowing even if you are dragging him. Keep him moving. And keep the water flowing. If you have no one to help you make a friend or 2 there and help cool down their horses later in the day if they help you with yours.

I am sure you will be perfectly fine because you are a very sensible person and always put your horse first.

I get off immediately after every phase regardless of temp and find it particularly sad to watch tired horses being ridden back to the lorry (I do appreciate some may be too lit up or difficult for whatever reason). I always regret it at Ascott though because there's a mother of a hill and it's a hike back

I also walk for 10 mins as a minimum post XC. Will have two friends there so plenty of help for King Bog!

 

[Michen]

Yeah, that's a good point. Don't forget about yourself. I once walked up to get my score sheet, got to the tent and promptly fainted ?‍ hit the ground pretty hard. Moral of the story; drink enough water.

Is pimms an acceptable alternative?

Though frankly I'm going to need the vodka for this height!

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

I get off immediately after every phase regardless of temp and find it particularly sad to watch tired horses being ridden back to the lorry (I do appreciate some may be too lit up or difficult for whatever reason). I always regret it at Ascott though because there's a mother of a hill and it's a hike back

I also walk for 10 mins as a minimum post XC. Will have two friends there so plenty of help for King Bog!

You are defos one of the sensible ones! Go and enjoy your weekend and don't forget your own water!

 

[Michen]

Eeeeek I don't think I want to go My stomach is in knots already. Why oh Why do I suffer from such horrendous nerves!

 

[teapot]

Aston's put in wash areas so I think your access to water will be ok.

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

Eeeeek I don't think I want to go My stomach is in knots already. Why oh Why do I suffer from such horrendous nerves!

Your getting an Elf special here - Man Up Princess! You have an awesome wee horse who will have great fun gallivanting round the place, you know you are both more than capable of the level so go and enjoy it!

 

[splashgirl45]

you will be fine and bog will love it, well the c/c anyway maybe not so much the dressage have a great time and do a report with pics and videos if you can, its lovely to watch you two, remember its supposed to be fun!!!!good luck

 

[Michen]

Your getting an Elf special here - Man Up Princess! You have an awesome wee horse who will have great fun gallivanting round the place, you know you are both more than capable of the level so go and enjoy it!

YES! Thank you!! I will MTFU

 

[Bernster]

Nah, you Woman Up ! Sorry, couldn’t resist ?

 

[Goldenstar]

I just think you need to make sure that you keep him hydrated if he will drink easily thats simple if he does not then you need a strategy to help out .
Black currant squash in water is loved by some .
Some will hydrate if you add a tasty coarse mix to water quarter of a bucket of water with the coarse mix added .
My favourite to use is soaked alfalfa cubes of course the horse needs to eating alfalfa regularly or soaked grass cubes .
Get the electrolyte levels up the day before you go and give them after the xc to speed recovery I always used a syringe paste at competitions but give them after the horse has taken on some water .
If he drinks well at competitions you could add the salts to the feed you give him before travel home and that of course should be based around soaked foods .
I often soaked the haylege before travelling home .
I would take ice in a good solid cool box it’s will help you cool him between phases and get his temperature down after the xc .
I would not worry so much about the day that’s manageable it’s the journey home that can drain them so I would give a slow recovery over three days after a hot run .
A 100 xc is not a long way so I am sure he be fine , I would have clipped within a ice of his life .
Enjoy yourself .

 

[Michen]

Hmmmm

 

[Michen]

I could run Sunday in the unaff at Aston instead? Tricky

 

[MystieMoo]

the ground conditions tend to sway me as much as temp. I just wouldn't run on hard ground, not worth it.

I have to agree with you. My daughter has switched to dressage for the time being. She last evented in May this year, but hasn't been happy with the ground since.

 

[Michen]

I have to agree with you. My daughter has switched to dressage for the time being. She last evented in May this year, but hasn't been happy with the ground since.

I am as fussy as you can be re ground. I don’t know where you are based but where I am if you are prepared to travel and enter the events with old turf it was pretty feasible for june July and august (aston water their ground extensively, all the pros yesteday were raving about the ground).

I have had to withdraw twice this season due to ground out of 6 runs maybe.

 

[RachelFerd]

I am as fussy as you can be re ground. I don’t know where you are based but where I am if you are prepared to travel and enter the events with old turf it was pretty feasible for june July and august (aston water their ground extensively, all the pros yesteday were raving about the ground).

I have had to withdraw twice this season due to ground out of 6 runs maybe.

I've run 9 times this season - only one of those runs has ended up being on questionably hard ground. One run in July was a little firmer than ideal. All the rest of my runs have had good safe ground. Buckminster held up well in early July. Gatcombe was surprisngly good last weekend. Old turf is the key, or venues that genuinely put the effort in.

 

[Michen]

I've run 9 times this season - only one of those runs has ended up being on questionably hard ground. One run in July was a little firmer than ideal. All the rest of my runs have had good safe ground. Buckminster held up well in early July. Gatcombe was surprisngly good last weekend. Old turf is the key, or venues that genuinely put the effort in.

Yep. I've been to Offchurch twice for that very reason!

 

[Sheep]

Just wanted to say - whatever you decide, have confidence in yourself that you’re making the right decision for the right reasons. You have consistently always had Boggle’s well-being at the forefront of everything you’ve done with him - your postings here make that really evident - what a lucky boy to have such a conscientious owner. ?

 

[myheartinahoofbeat]

Ask yourself who you doing it for.
Personally, I wouldn't run and have pulled out of an event this weekend. My horse doesn't need to run on hard ground or heat but you know your horse better than anyone. I think the fact that you are asking the question means you are doubting yourself. Last weekend I got stuck in traffic with horse and trailer, we were pretty much at a stand still on the motorway for well over an hour. It's this as much as anything that puts me off travelling in the heat. I know the registered horse transportation firms aren't allowed to work when it is 30 or above

 

[Red-1]

Personally, I would not. This heat is extreme. I did once have a horse who showed the first signs of heat stroke at a one day event, very quickly tackled and she was fine, but it made me more cautious for the future.

I am not prissy, we did a local dressage on Tuesday and am doing a local jump tonight, but both are very close to home (we hack there) and so we can be in control of getting home again, regardless of traffic. We will be put of the yard for maybe an hour, in total.

I also boxed over to a friend to ride yesterday, but was home by 11am. My box also has forced air ventilation, as well as being insulated and having extra windows and a roof vent, so if we were to get stuck in traffic, I can put the fan on to either suck or blow and there is adequate ventilation where the air is forced to move.

I just think that a fair journey, followed by a fair effort in this heat, with a fair journey home, is possibly one step too far, when you can't be in control of traffic etc.

If you have the option to run the next day, in cooler weather, I would take that up as long as the ground will be good.

 

[Michen]

I'm fairly at peace with it. Have put some provisions in place which may involve an overnight saturday to travel back in the cool if required, or Bog hanging out in a stable post event to chill out until it's cooler to travel home. He has a stable for the day regardless to relax in the cool between phases.

In truth, I probably wouldn't go if it wasn't our last and first opportunity to event at this level (both me and him are moving countries). I don't think the eventing itself in the heat is likely to be an issue for him- he's very fit and yesterday hacking in 33 degrees was not remotely less bouncy. He has evented in 32/33 before and been absolutely fine. So I'm hoping that as long as I have plan A, B, C should I need it then he should be grand.

I hope I am not making the wrong/selfish decision. If I got any whisper of Bog struggling at any phase he would be immediately withdrawn and I am very prepared to chuck ££££££ with overnight stays etc.

 

[Michen]

Ask yourself who you doing it for.
Personally, I wouldn't run and have pulled out of an event this weekend. My horse doesn't need to run on hard ground or heat but you know your horse better than anyone. I think the fact that you are asking the question means you are doubting yourself. Last weekend I got stuck in traffic with horse and trailer, we were pretty much at a stand still on the motorway for well over an hour. It's this as much as anything that puts me off travelling in the heat. I know the registered horse transportation firms aren't allowed to work when it is 30 or above

Yes I totally get your point, that's my biggest concern. I think I've mitigated the risks on that with not travelling during the heat of the day, think we will end up leaving Aston at about 8pm and then he's travelling back in the cool having had from 2pm until then to relax in a stable and recover.

 

[Michen]

Laughing that my stabling and fan costs are more than my entry ??

 

[RachelFerd]

I'm fairly at peace with it. Have put some provisions in place which may involve an overnight saturday to travel back in the cool if required, or Bog hanging out in a stable post event to chill out until it's cooler to travel home. He has a stable for the day regardless to relax in the cool between phases.

In truth, I probably wouldn't go if it wasn't our last and first opportunity to event at this level (both me and him are moving countries). I don't think the eventing itself in the heat is likely to be an issue for him- he's very fit and yesterday hacking in 33 degrees was not remotely less bouncy. He has evented in 32/33 before and been absolutely fine. So I'm hoping that as long as I have plan A, B, C should I need it then he should be grand.

I hope I am not making the wrong/selfish decision. If I got any whisper of Bog struggling at any phase he would be immediately withdrawn and I am very prepared to chuck ££££££ with overnight stays etc.

You'll be fine - people ran at 33 degrees in the 5* at Luhmuhlen. You are doing far less, and you're doing it on a fit lightweight horse, and taking lots of sensible precautions.

 

[Michen]

You'll be fine - people ran at 33 degrees in the 5* at Luhmuhlen. You are doing far less, and you're doing it on a fit lightweight horse, and taking lots of sensible precautions.

Thank you! I’m more worried about the trakehener ? least it’s diverted my attention from the Sj.

 

[BBP]

In truth, I probably wouldn't go if it wasn't our last and first opportunity to event at this level (both me and him are moving countries).

That’s the only sentence that would bother me. Not only are you changing the height but you are changing the environmental conditions. If I was competing in the heat, I would be asking the horse for less effort rather than more.

All that being said, you have put lots of mitigation in place with stables/fans etc. and your devotion to Bogs wellbeing is clear.

The only extra thing I would add is that often you won’t see the signs of heat exhaustion til it’s too late, they can ping around, full of themselves but it’s later in the day when they struggle so be really vigilant for the 48hrs afterwards (example event I groomed at in NZ in extreme heat, a large number of horses needed a drip overnight to recover for the SJ next day).

 

[Michen]

In the interest of showing the bad times and the good.. oh my goodness did Bog warm up well. He felt amazing. As were fences 1-6, he was a little strong but we met everything right and I was thinking how lovely it all was and what a nice time I was having and how silly I’d been to worry about a BE100. He made the oxers feel like nothing.

Then we came round to the second double. We were on the wrong leg but clean and I didn’t want to kill the canter to change, especially as he was being strong and I didn’t think I could get him back enough to change quickly then get the canter back. Wrong decision. I knew we were wrong and went “oh f***” - literally- made my friends giggle about four strides out. Didn’t half halt and didn’t push either. Bog being the little darling that he is pinged himself in the air to avoid touching it and out of the saddle I went.

Totally my fault and Bog just stood there and looked a little perplexed and wondering why his rider is such a moron.

Anyway we live to right another day and I’m weirdly quite cheerful about it because up until then was having a great round and if I could have got back on and done it again absolutely would have. I was too relaxed, too complacent and learned the ultimate lesson for it.

Everything happens for a reason- right? ?

I also feel better about going to Frickley next week which I was unsure about given he was competing in the heat today so we will go enjoy ourselves at 90. My move also got delayed yesterday due to a visa issue so I may well get another shot at a 100.


Thank you all for your support and I’m sorry to not be posting an interesting successful write up for you all! Hopefully you get a giggle from the pic ?